


Late Nights

by Lannakitty



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, I like these dorks, Secret Relationship, Series, Smut, Sneaking Around, Tessduin, eventually it'll get more kinky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:48:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25623895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lannakitty/pseuds/Lannakitty
Summary: Late night shenanigans between the sheets in Stormwind Keep. A series of vignettes
Relationships: Tess Greymane/Anduin Wrynn
Comments: 10
Kudos: 47





	1. Turning in Early

**Author's Note:**

> A series of smutty vignettes for Tess Greymane and Anduin Wrynn.
> 
> I had intended to write something very different but then it became this instead, so that other idea will just have to happen later.

Anduin stifled a yawn as he approached the royal suite. His personal valet appeared as he opened the door to the sitting room. "I'm turning in early for the evening, Stefan. I won't need anything else. Why don't you head home for the night as well," he said, giving the man a friendly, if tired, smile. 

"Have a good evening, sire," his valet said, giving him a small bow.

When the valet was gone, Anduin shut the door behind him and waited until he couldn't hear the valet's footsteps anymore. He rolled the tired hunch out of his shoulders, smiling in anticipation. With a spring in his step, Anduin went to his bedroom. 

He turned on the lanterns then set them low. It was far too warm for a fire, so the illusion of candlelight would have to suffice. He shucked off his overcoat, removed his boots and finally loosened his hair from the band he'd been wearing all day. Anduin sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, feeling more relaxed already. He unlocked his bedside table, drank one the potions stored there, then relocked the cabinet. Returning to the sitting room, he went to the wetbar and poured two glasses of whiskey. Instead of putting the bottle back, he took it into his bedroom and set it on the table in the little sitting area by the hearth.

The sitting room of his suite opened onto a generous covered balcony. Taking his glass of whiskey, Anduin stepped outside and watched the lights of the city dance in the darkness of early evening. The alcohol burned hot down his throat then pooled warm in his belly a contrast to the night-chilled stone under his bare feet. After a count of twenty, he left the balcony, and returned inside.

A deft hand plucked his whiskey away.

Anduin had half expected this. He grinned as he closed the balcony door and pulled the curtain across the windows. Tess arched a brow at him over the glass as she drank her stolen whiskey, dark eyes dancing in silent mirth. Anduin shook his head, laughing quietly. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She let him, rather than playfully dancing away, and pressed against his side. He kissed the dark red smile on upturned lips. She tasted like whiskey and smelled like leather. She was soft curves and hard muscle under her light armor. Tess hummed a pleased, almost feline, sound against his mouth before ending the kiss and sashaying away. 

Anduin watched her prowl towards his bedroom. A short pause and dark eyes over a leather-clad shoulder had him hurrying to retrieve the other drink and follow in her wake. He closed the bedroom door behind them. Tess was perched on the end of his bed, legs crossed.

"Early night, your majesty?" she asked, wine-red lips curved into a smirk.

Anduin grinned. "I have been told I've looked a bit tired in meetings as of late." He took another sip of his drink then set the glass aside.

Tess's lips pursed into a little moue. "You poor man. Perhaps you should see a healer." 

"They are all of the opinion I should get more rest." He knelt before her and began to undo the straps and buckles on one of her boots. 

"Oh, really?" Tess said, watching him over the rim of her glass once more. 

"Mmhmm. Which is why I have retired early for the evening once again." The first boot came off and the stocking with it. He set them neatly aside to be easily found later then began to tackle the next boot. "Though, I must confess, it doesn't seem to have been helping."

Tess downed her whiskey, head tilting back to expose the line of her throat, pale against the dark of her hair and the leather. She looked down at him, teeth just barely biting her bottom lip. Utterly mesmerizing. 

"It sounds quite serious," she said holding out her empty glass. Anduin realized he'd been transfixed only when the glass tapped his shoulder. 

"It is a problem," he said with affected gravity as he took the glass from her. 

She leaned back, propping herself up with one arm, dark eyes watching his movements. He offered her a second glass from the bottle on the table. She shook her head no and Anduin set her glass beside his. He tugged his shirt off unceremoniously then returned to kneeling before her. His hands skimmed up the soft leather covering her legs before settling on her hips. He rested his forearms on the bed alongside her thighs. 

Tess reached out and stroked her fingers through his hair then caressed down the side of his face, cupping his cheek. Anduin leaned into her touch and kissed the work-roughened palm. 

"Whatever could it be disturbing your sleep?" she asked, sounding genuinely sympathetic, as if she didn't know and wasn't part of the reason. He was always impressed with her ability to act, but he was close enough now he could tell the difference. She had let him see her most exposed, true self.

"I have a few theories," he replied conversationally while he went to work on her belt. She'd generously only worn one this evening. He still wasn't entirely sure why some of her outfits had  _ more  _ than one, but he suspected frustrating him was considered a valid reason in her eyes.

"Do tell."

"There are several matters of state that have required my attention. I had to arbitrate a deal between two nobles that had fallen into dispute over a border with the city and the Lord Mayor requested my presence." The belt was unfastened which left the tied closure of her pants next.

"Boring."

"Then a couple Nobles tried to set themselves up for a power grab in about five years time using some of our trade laws," Anduin explained as he picked at the knot. "As if I haven't been taught the laws of the land since I started schooling and my father wouldn't have mentioned some of their more overt tricks." He shook his head.

"They're like toddlers. Testing boundaries," Tess told him.

"And I have a kingdom to run despite them trying to interrupt me."

"Really?" Tess exclaimed with mock surprise. Anduin lightly swatted what he could reach of her rear, which only made those crimson lips pucker prettily into flirty "o" of surprise, dark eyes wide in mock scandal. Her gaze turned sly, eyes narrowing dangerously. "And none of this exhaustion would have anything to do with you sneaking out at night to go drink cheap ale, hmm?"

Anduin rolled his eyes. "I know better now." For one thing, he had better ways to dye his hair. And also remove it quickly. And better fake names.

"Good. I'd hate to think you've been sneaking out and having fun without me," she said, holding his chin in her hand. He pulled away and nipped at her fingers playfully. "I am impressed you managed to ditch your guards alone," she said, meaning it. It felt good. She'd been doing it for  _ years _ . Anduin was convinced Genn still didn't have a full picture of all the things his daughter got up to, even after both the Legion and Darkshore.

He certainly had no idea she was here.

If he did, then Anduin wouldn't be alive right now. 

Oh, Genn had begun to offer her up like Anduin was a pedigree stallion and Tess was some prized broodmare to be covered. But a theoretical conversation shortly after his father's funeral was a far cry from Anduin actually sleeping with Genn's daughter. A lot.

He had the ties on her pants finally undone - her knots were becoming intentionally more and more complicated. One day he was just going to use a knife and cut them away. Anduin began to tug at the laces to loosen them. She wasn't any help at all, of course, because that was part of the fun.

"Anything else?" she asked. "That all doesn't sound so bad."

"I have more legitimate trade agreements to review. Logistics are being changed. Now we're not on war footing a lot of shifting has to be done with the economy," Anduin said, hands slowing. There was a lot to do. He had a mountain of paperwork on his desk still... And reports to read from his teams abroad. Tyrande was still not communicating, and- "There is the not so small matter of Sylvanas Windrunner still being at large," Anduin added. The weight of the crown came down on him once more.

Tess's hand cupped his cheek when his fingers fell still. He met her warm eyes eventually. "She isn't  _ your  _ mistake, Anduin. She will be found."

Anduin closed his eyes and sighed. Pain gripped his heart. So many depended on him. He was the High King because his  _ father  _ had been. It probably  _ should  _ have gone to Genn, but at the same time, Genn wouldn't have stopped pursuing war the first time and  _ so many _ more people would be dead, and-

"Anduin..." Tess pushed him back to sit on his heels as she slid from the bed to embrace him, straddling his lap. "It will be okay. You're not alone in this. It doesn't  _ all  _ have to weigh on you. Stop taking it on," she said.

"Easier said than done." He grimaced at how rueful he sounded even to his own ears.

Tess made a little cooing noise of concern and wrapped him in a tight hug. She continued to squeeze, until he returned it, burying his face into her hair. She'd been out doing something because all he could smell was leather. If she'd been wearing her court face her hair would have smelled of flowers.

She held his face in her hands then kissed him gently, almost chastely. When he finally met her eyes again, he could see her masks were all gone. Tess so often had her guard up, seeing it down was a precious thing. She wasn't The Princess, or the Playful Rogue, or The Operative, or even the cold Killing Eyes, the only face she actively tried to keep away from him. It was  _ Tess _ , who was all of those things and none of them. Tess, his friend, the one who understood him better than anyone else in all the world, despite how utterly different they were. The woman he'd come to love.

"I'm supposed to be your light," he said, feeling like he'd failed again. "That's what you called me, and I feel as if I have even failed in that."

Tess gave him a little huff of annoyance and kissed him soundly. "You  _ are  _ by being  _ you _ ." She said, giving him a little shake, then she kissed him again. "Everyone puts too much on you." She was scowling now, but wasn't angry at him.

He held her close, grateful for her anger on his behalf and for her caring. Anduin brushed a raven lock of hair back behind her ear. Her perspective was so different. He'd come to value her frank opinions on any number of things. And she'd told him he'd helped her too. She walked into the dangerous places, the dark places, willingly. "I like being that for you." It made him feel good, as if he were somehow able to help her fight in the shadows, rather than helplessly waiting for her return.

She kissed him again, soft breath on his ear sending a frisson down his spine, helping to shake away his darker thoughts. "You are so strong." She kissed his temple, soft and hard in arms. So much of Tess was a study in contrasts. "You do so much for your people and you  _ care _ ," she continued, unaware of Adnuin's dizzy thoughts. "The depth of how much you care for everyone is inspiring. You're my beacon just by existing. There is nothing you need to do for me other than be yourself." 

Anduin sighed. He believed her words in a way he couldn't sometimes believe it from himself as of late. There was curious relief that had nothing to do with the physical when he was with her... Though there was plenty of  _ that  _ too, now. It was as if he didn't have to carry as much of the burden when he was with her. Anduin felt lighter when he was with her. Holding her as a lover he sometimes felt he might float away.

She leaned back so she could hold his face in her hands once more. "You are a good man, Anduin." She kissed him again, another soft chaste kiss that somehow burned just as fiercely as any of her passionate ones. The quiet conviction of her words dispelled more of the darkness. Tess rested her forehead against his. "Maybe you should get some sleep."

"No." He didn't want her to go. A spark of anger at his own melancholy burned away the last lingering feelings of doubt and sadness.

"No?" she asked, arching a brow.

He smiled, shook his head and then he was the one kissing her, at first softly then with more heat. Why should he brood over what Sylvanas Windrunner was doing when he had done all he could? He certainly shouldn't think of that treacherous walking corpse when he had someone much better to hold his attention.

They were both a bit breathless when the last kiss ended. Her lipstick was probably as much on him as it was on her now, but he didn't care. She opened her eyes, a bit dazed. He grinned and kissed his way up her jaw and under her ear, finding that little ticklish spot he'd discovered. She protested with a squeal and batted at him lightly. He stopped only to speak in a low voice into her ear.

"I think I'd like to make a late night of it, if it's all the same to you?"

She made an interested sound. "Oh?"

"Might be good to think about anything else for a bit," he said. He kissed his way down her neck again as his hands roamed up her sides and across her back. 

"What would you be thinking of?" she asked, tone wry, though she wasn't unaffected by his touch. Her hips had begun a slow, deliberate roll on his lap.

"The same thing that has been distracting me for the last few hours since I got your note." He nipped her ear. "Thank you  _ very much _ for dropping that into my reports. Someone could have seen-"

"Only if you botched hiding it," she interrupted. He could hear her smirk.

"Your father is in that meeting," Anduin reminded her.

"Is he?" she asked, teasing because she knew the answer. She leaned back but made no move to rise from his lap. Tess's lipstick was a bit smudged and her dark eyes glittered with dangerous mirth. She lazily draped her arms over his shoulders. "Does it make those meetings difficult? You've seen me naked. Touched me." She leaned in closer, whispering into his ear as her hips continued their slow rock. "You know the sounds I make when I'm being fucked. You've made me make those sounds. He doesn't know I've let you cum inside me. Are those meetings..." She paused with deliberate wickedness. "Hard?"

The sound Anduin made was somewhere between a laugh and a groan, but all dismay. The dirty talk in her refined accent was a surprising turn on, but a pun? Anduin grabbed her hips, holding her still. " _ Tess _ ." 

She laughed, full of wicked delight but not an ounce of shame. Gripping his chin in her hand she leaned in and kissed him softly. "You've been thinking about me."

Anduin's eyes narrowed. "I  _ was  _ but if you keep making terrible puns..." He trailed off in warning, but the threat had no teeth and the both knew it.

Her expression softened out of impishness but the heat in her eyes remained. She dropped her hand to his chest. "I think of you," she admitted in a quiet voice. The lightest of blushes crossed her cheeks. She looked up at him through dark lashes. "When I'm alone."

The image instantly appeared in his mind, accompanied by sound. He felt warm all over and his pants were a little too tight, but those were secondary concerns to his need to kiss her. He realized he was an idiot and could have been kissing her this whole time, but he'd let himself become distracted with Windrunner and the nobles. Those other things were important, but not right now. 

Tess was in his arms with all her wicked humor, dark strength and gentle vulnerability. He worked at the fastenings of her top as they kissed and she was helping for once. She moaned against his mouth. Yes, it was hard to be in those meetings when he knew how she sounded, what she looked like, what she felt like, how she  _ tasted _ , but Anduin wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon. 

At least until Genn found out and a few hundred pounds of claws and teeth went for his throat.

Tess made a soft request in his ear and Anduin decided that an angry Genn was also a problem for another time. He finally helped her out of the armored top and the thin cotton shirt that went under it. It landed someplace to the side. He scowled in dismay at what remained. 

Her breasts were encased in a terrible contraption made out of more leather. This was softer than the jacket, warmed by the heat of her skin. It bound her breasts tightly so she had more room to maneuver and fight without them in the way... But damn if the clasps weren't infernal contraptions designed by the most twisted mind in the Legion itself. Anduin steeled himself to do battle once more with a hated foe.

She laughed and batted his hands away. "Honestly," she said, clucking her tongue at him. Anduin did  _ not  _ pout as the demonic clasps gave away easily under her fingers. He pulled the offending garment out of her hands, off her body then he tossed it away, uncaring where it landed. He cut off her protest with another kiss, his hands skimming up her sides to her breasts so he could cup them in his hands, thumbs sweeping over the firming nipples. He replaced a thumb with his lips, laving over her flesh and gently sucking. Breasts were wonderful. One of his favorite parts of the female figure. He loved the weight and feel of hers in particular.

"Did you take a potion yet?" she asked. Her hands had gone into his hair, nails grazing his scalp.

"Just before you showed up," he answered as he switched to her other side. They were sneaking around and, yes, he had been a little distracted on occasion, but they  _ were  _ being  _ responsible  _ about sleeping together at every opportunity.

"Me too," she said as his lips began to kiss up her chest to her shoulder. She closed her eyes and tilted her head, letting him kiss his way up her neck to her ear. Tess laughed and squirmed as he found another ticklish spot. He huffed a soft laugh in her ear then pushed her back off his lap to stand.

Anduin rose up off his heels so he could finally get rid of her pants. With her standing before him, the untied fastenings were easier to deal with and pull down. Unlike the more utilitarian demon-crafted brassiere, the panties were delicate and lacy. He arched a brow at her and plucked at the little pink bow sewn to the center of the band of black lace. Tess looked down at him and shrugged, unrepentant for her choice of clothing. Chuckling, Anduin eased the leather pants off her legs slowly, leaving the lace there for now. She stepped out of the pants and he tossed them aside vaguely in the same direction her overcoat had gone. Probably. They'd sort it out later.

He slid hands up her legs as he stood. They caressed over her rear, skimming across the lace then up her back. She had scars. Each one a hard-won victory or a reminder of some minor-defeat - minor because she kept rising to fight again. He leaned down to kiss her, backing her up in the direction of the bed. Tess smiled against his lips as her legs hit the plush mattress. She kissed his cheek then got onto the bed, lying back, propped up on her elbows. 

Anduin followed her down to kiss her lips then kissed along the side of her neck. His trail of kisses took a small detour when he got to her chest, because her breasts were wonderfully soft and full. Tess huffed a laugh and tapped the top of his head. Anduin kissed the underside of one breast then continued down her stomach. He kissed over the scar he knew she'd earned fighting demons because he'd been the one to heal it, and the others he wasn't sure of and tried not to dwell on. Her stomach twitched a bit as he kissed ever downward, a little ticklish or maybe she just felt vulnerable nearly naked and prone on the bed. He kissed her hips then the little pink bow before he pulled the lace off her body. She helped, lifting her hips so he could remove them easily. Holding them in one hand he scratched his chin thoughtfully then made a show of draping them on the bedpost, taking his time to adjust them artfully. She let out a peal of laughter before quickly smothering it with both hands on her mouth. He grinned up at her as he got back to his knees at the end of the bed. Tess rolled her eyes but he'd made her laugh, so he counted it as a win.

"Maybe you should hang the bra there too," she suggested. "A fitting end for your nemesis? To be hung?" She helped as he pulled her closer to the end of the bed.

Anduin rolled his eyes. "I could, but then I wouldn't be doing this," he replied, kissing a knee before putting it over his shoulder. He did the same thing with the other.

"Fair point," she agreed with a little head tilt. 

He held her eyes as he kissed down the inside of one thigh, coming so very close to her center then did the same thing on the other side. Anduin licked up the inside of one thigh, making her laugh but also shudder and squirm. He watched her fingers clench into the bedding as he teased. Then he did as she'd quietly requested and kissed her center. She jerked under his lips at that first touch. Hooking his arms around her legs he spread them wider and held her more securely. He began to nibble lightly with his lips, licking around and across the little bundle of nerves but not spending time on it directly yet. 

He'd begun to keep a mental catalogue of likes and dislikes. Tess moaned and arched under him when he did something she liked. If she didn't like it as much she didn't react as much. He'd used his teeth once and she'd been quick to voice her dislike. Anduin was eager to find the full extent of what he could do to her to make her come undone under him. The sounds she made, the taste of her, the way she felt under him were all things he discovered he loved. It was incredibly arousing to get her worked up. Her hands clenched into the bedding as he wound her up with little nibbles with his lips.

He circled her with his tongue, then covered her clit with his mouth and sucked. The dark red lips parted with a little cry. He drew a second and third from her, arched body blocking his view of her face. Anduin eased back, using less pressure and slower motions of his tongue. He wasn't done pleasing her yet and didn't want to end this too quickly.

Tess's arched back sank onto the bed as her hands slipped down to slide over his forearms, the moans softer, almost voiceless, exhalations. One of her hands found his and held it tight. He was drawing light, little circles around her center but this was somehow more intimate. Tess's lower lip was caught by her teeth. Her hips twisted in his grasp and ground against him, straining for more friction. Her plea was voiced as a moan. When she began to sound a little frustrated, the hands on his arms gripping, pulling, he smiled against her sex and chuckled. She jerked a little under the vibrations which gave him the brilliant idea to try humming.

She liked  _ that _ . He continued to circle and nibble, his mouth following the movements of her jerking hips, now adding the occasional little hum. Her heels dug into his back, one hand back in the bedding, the other digging into his forearm. The moans were quickly becoming fast, needly little sounds, eyes squeezed shut as the blush on her cheeks darkened and spread.

Anduin sucked on her clit hard, humming as he did. Tess's back arched high off the bed as she bit back a scream, heels and nails digging into him and the bedding as she came under him. Anduin rode through her climax then eased away as she fell back to the bed. He let her go and stood, smugly surveyed his handiwork as she lay panting before him, dark hair spread out like a halo.

He wiped his lips and chin with the back of his hand. Her eyes fluttered open. He grinned down at her. Tess narrowed her eyes.

"Don't you look smug," she commented.

"Yep," he agreed as he began to undo the laces on his own pants.

She snorted a laugh.

"Need a moment?" he asked, arching a brow, and feeling pretty great. 

She rolled her eyes but didn't disagree. Anduin grinned to himself as he removed his pants and undergarments. He left them in a heap on the floor. Tess had risen to her elbows again and was openly looking at everything on display. Anduin caught her eyes as they flickered upwards briefly, her cheeks pinked just the slightest bit. He thought about flexing, certain she would laugh again. He loved hearing her laugh and enjoyed it even more when he'd been the one to cause it. Before he could act,Tess got to her knees and held out a hand.

"Come to bed," she invited. Tess smiled when he took her hand and Anduin's heart did little flips in his chest. She drew him onto the bed after her as she moved towards the plush pillows at the head. Anduin gathered her into his arms when he got close enough, the hard heat of his erection trapped between them. He ignored it for the moment to lean down to kiss her, his hands running up and down her back. He rubbed his nose against hers, earning a little laugh, one of the hands on his chest slid down to grasp his length. He grunted as her hand wrapped around and began to move. She leaned up to kiss his jaw, his neck, and the corner of his mouth. He turned to catch her lips and she let him, all the while her hand continued the slow stroke. Her free hand reached around to his rear and grabbed. He hissed, jerking upright in surprise. The hand holding him let go, her leg went around his and the room suddenly spun.

"Gluck." Anduin blinked up at the canopy of his bed for a stunned second as his head hit the pillows. Tess's grin came into view, dark hair falling in a curtain over him. She had him pinned, thighs straddling his hips, hands on his shoulders. Her eyes glittered in the low light. He sighed, because he  _ should  _ have expected this. "You could ask to be on top rather than just flipping me."

"This is more fun," she countered, rising back and doing a little hair flip to get it out of her face. "Do you mind?" She was running her hands over his chest, lightly grazing with her nails.

"No, ma'am," he said, smiling up at her, hands going to her hips. Who he was in bed with was more important to him than position. The nails left little trails of fire behind them and he shuddered under her touch. 

She hummed in sensual delight as she took him in hand again, half lidded eyes looking down at him as his hips rolled under her. He watched as she rose on her knees above him then sank down slowly, so slowly. His hands clenched on her side as he watched himself disappear into her tight, wet, warmth. She rose up then sank down further until she'd taken him fully, the low curses somewhat breathless, her thighs tight around him. He hadn't thought himself especially large, but he was at least big for her. Or she was tight. So very, wonderfully tight. They'd found she needed a little bit of time to adjust to him. It was exquisite torture, not moving, but that didn't mean he had to lie back and wait for her to do all the work. One hand caressed up her side to hold her breast. He rubbed his thumb over the taught peak. His other hand he put to work robbing slow circles around her clit.

She relaxed above him, letting her head fall back with a soft moan, the tight clench of her thighs easing. She began a slow, mesmerizing roll of her hips. Anduin moaned, hands sliding up to grip her sides. Tess looked down at him, wine red lips parted in a small smile, utterly magnificent as she rode him. 

She leaned forward as she rocked, hands braced on his chest. The soft magelight lit her pale skin in gentle, warm tones. The dark fall of her hair was too tempting not to touch. He brushed some of the raven locks behind her ear then cupped the side of her face. She pressed a kiss into his palm. 

Anduin pulled her closer, drawing her into a slow, languid kiss that matched the movement of their hips. She moaned against his mouth and broke from the kiss, breathless, eyes half lidded in sensual pleasure. He leaned up to kiss her once more with a hum of pleasure. This time when the kiss broke and he went for her again, she evaded him, rising just out of reach and pushing him back into the bedding. She straightened, dragging her nails down his chest as her hips rolled slowly, grinding against his. 

Then she began to really move. No longer content with the slow rocking, she lifted herself up then sank down, moving faster, letting him go deeper. Anduin thrust his hips up in counterpoint, his hands on her thighs, her sides, her breasts. Her hands ran over his and down his arms. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she rode him; the way her breasts bounced, the rising color on her cheeks and down her chest, the sway of her hair, the way her dark eyes glittered as they never left his face. 

The hands on his shoulders tightened as she leaned forward to claim his lips in a kiss. Her motions became a deep grind. He moaned against her lips and reached down with searching fingers. Finding her center he began rubbing it in counterpoint to her hips, adding friction he hoped would push her over the edge. She broke their kiss with a soft cry, shuddering and clenching him as she came. Tess collapsed onto his chest, moaning. Anduin hummed and kissed the side of her head. He wrapped his arms around her back, rubbing up and down, taking a moment to give her bottom a cheeking grope. She snorted a laugh into his shoulder. Anduin drew his knees up then rolled them over.

Tess "eeped" in surprise. "So you have been paying attention," she praised, expression relaxing.

"Mmhmm," he murmured, kissing her. He hadn't stayed inside her trying that maneuver, so he reached down and rubbed her clit with the head. She sighed against his mouth between kisses. He entered her again and she moaned into his ear, nails running all over his back and his ass. Bracing himself on his elbows, he began a steady deep, thrusting.

Tess hummed in pleasure and hitched her legs up higher. One hand slid up to cup her cheek, the other reached down to massage one full breast. She laughed, low and sated. Anduin's hand abandoned her breast and hooked under her knee, hauling it up higher. Close now, he sped up the cadence of his thrusts. The only sound in the room, their shared grunts, the sound of flesh meeting flesh and the creak of the bed. He was so close... He felt her shudder and shiver under him, heard the soft whimper, nails digging into his back and rear. Anduin came in her, grunting as his world went white and thought was suspended. His hips flexed automatically as the lightning bolt of pleasure went through his body, working automatically. He fell to the bed, spent.

The toe curling pleasure faded and he became aware of the soft trails her fingers were leaving over his back. His hips were still cradled in hers. Her lips were soft against his shoulder and neck. Anduin rose up to his elbows again so he wasn't crushing her. Tess's hair was fanned out behind her on the pillows, skin flushed. She reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear, then caressed the side of his face. No flirting, or teasing. Tess's smile was soft, vulnerable, her lovely eyes unguarded. She looked younger, or maybe more innocent, or perhaps just more trusting of him. Anduin fell in love with her further.

He rolled off of her, but didn't leave the embrace of her arms. He kissed her softly, languidly, taking his time. His kisses were returned in kind. To his great delight, Tess cuddled in against him with a contented sigh. His arms wound around her and their legs ended up tangled together.

"So, what do we do with the rest of the night?" Tess asked, fingers trailing aimlessly over his chest.

"Mmm pretty good right here for the moment." He could hear the smug smirk in her quiet laugh. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Well," she dragged the word out. "There is plenty of bad ale out in the city."

"Mediocre ale?" he countered.

"Or... Dalaran?" she suggested.

"Or Dalaran," he agreed.

She sat up in bed and looked down at him. "Up for ditching your guards and having a late night, your majesty?"

He grinned.


	2. Oasis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quiet evening interrupted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another little stand alone. Shout out to Spanner for once posing a question to me in discord about what a specific character might look like as a Worgen. It spawned a thing! Special thanks to Wolfandwild for some handholding.
> 
> RL has been super duper busy, but I'm not dead! (yet)

Tess carefully picked her way across the stones of Stormwind Keep, following the now familiar path. The scent of rain was heavy in the air. Earlier showers had left the stones wet, but she'd had to traverse more precarious trails and it wasn't the first time she'd crossed these rain slicked stones. A chilly wind, cool with the last biting memory of winter, snatched at her hair and cloak. Tess paused, let the wind pass, then continued, thinking of the warm firelight coming from the balcony still far ahead and the warmer welcome that awaited her.

Light rain began as Tess dropped to the stone of the balcony. She eyed the heavy clouds obscuring the moons and wondered if she would be sneaking out again in the rain come morning. 

Maybe she would just chance leaving from Anduin's rooms the normal way. 

Maybe tonight was the night she wouldn't leave at all. 

His staff probably wouldn't say anything if he asked. They were loyal but... They did not keep secrets the way SI:7 could. It would get out and their nice, quiet bubble would burst. And then, one way or another, their private lives would cease to be their own. Her shoulders hunched as she set thoughts of a lazy morning lie-in aside. The cost was too high. 

She was not yet ready to grieve for the loss of her privacy, her freedom, even if it meant she might be able to use a normal door and avoid the rain. Not yet... But she knew her heart  _ would  _ change. Maybe, she thought with rueful amusement, it already had, but she was too stubborn to listen.

Silently, she opened the balcony door. The room's lone occupant appeared unaware of her arrival and she took a moment to watch. Anduin was framed by the firelight, giving his pale hair an almost molten sheen. He'd grown up to have a lean build. Practice on the training grounds had given him some nice muscle in his shoulders and arms. And, she noted with a sly smile, a very pleasing rump. She closed the door behind her, letting the latch audibly click.

Anduin turned at the soft sound, a smile already on his face. He only brightened further when he saw her. Tess's heart sped up and she couldn't have stopped her own answering smile if she'd tried. He met her halfway across the room, arms sliding around her waist and shoulders in a tight embrace before he kissed her, warm and welcoming. Tess sighed against his lips. A weight she'd not been aware of slipped off her shoulders as she melted into his arms, coming home.

He pressed a kiss to the side of her head, unaware of her inner thoughts. One hand stroked up and down her back. "It's getting late. I was beginning to worry." It  _ was  _ well into the evening. His balcony had been one of the few lit windows left in the keep.

"I wanted to be here sooner. Took longer than expected to finish my meeting with Valeera then it was a bit windy and wet crossing the city," she replied, lightly. 

He huffed a laugh against her temple. " 'Stormwind' isn't just a fancy name."

"Evidently." She kissed him again, hands sliding over his shoulders and back, enjoying the feel of holding him and being held.

They parted, breathless, hands now idly roaming over one another. "Dinner?" he offered.

"No."

"Drinks?"

"Later."

"Bed?"

"Yes." 

Their lips met in a searing kiss, wandering hands now working at clothing. They walked backwards, quiet laughter between kisses as they moved, shedding her cloak and his outer coat, their boots and belts. Fingers fumbled with the various fastenings as they distracted one another with caresses and kisses. 

Anduin grinned then pinned her against the wall, one hand entwined with hers, the other blindly fumbling for the handle to the bedroom door. He grunted in surprise, bucking against her as she finally got her hand down the front of his pants. Tess laughed against his mouth. He moaned as she began to stroke him, his head dropping to her shoulder. Her other hand freed his hair from the tail he'd been wearing. She scratched her nails lightly over his scalp while her other hand slowly stroked his length.

"Light,  _ Tess _ ." Her name was a prayer on his lips. She grinned, smug. His hips rocked against her hand. She hummed her amusement, pleased with herself. Anduin turned his head and lightly bit into the junction of her neck and shoulder. Tess shuddered under him unexpectedly, movements faltering. He opened the bedroom door, then swept her up into his arms, carrying her into the bedroom.

She was dropped onto the bed, laughing quietly as Anduin practically tore his shirt off. Then he was on her, over her, hands and lips wandering over her breasts and hips and stomach. She caught him, trapping his head in her hands so she could kiss him properly. The hands caressing her stilled for a moment, their kiss languid, hot. They parted, breathless. Anduin moved her hands away, grinning. He resumed undressing her, kissing his way down her body as his fingers tugged offending clothing away. Tess sighed and relaxed into the bedding, a hand stroking through his hair. If he wanted to be in charge tonight, she wasn't going to complain.

A distant crash and muffled shouting drew her attention. She scowled at the outer door and rose on an elbow. "What was that?"

"What?" Anduin looked up from where he was hauling her leather pants down.

"Shh," she held up a hand. "Do you hear that?" There was more shouting and another crash. Tess rolled off the bed, pulling her pants back up. In the outer room she found her belt and put it back on as the distant ruckus continued.

"Is someone fighting?" Anduin hastily redid the closure on his own pants then grabbed his shirt. They both paused as guards in armor clanked by Anduin's door at a trot. Tess drew her daggers. Anduin set his jaw then quickly retrieved Shalamayne. As Tess opened the door, a worgen's howl resonated through the castle.

_ "Father!"  _ Tess thought, fear gripping her heart as she threw the door open the rest of the way and flew down the hall towards the rooms which had been given to her parents, Anduin following close behind.

Rounding the corner she almost ran into antsy guards who were looking at one another, anxiously shifting their weight. The nearest nearly drew a sword on Tess before she was recognized.

"P-Princess? Your Majesty!" the guard stammered as Anduin was recognized as well, her eyes wide.

"What is going on?" Anduin demanded, causing the half dozen or so guards to jerk in surprise. Tess was looking past them. Someone was trying to get into her parent's room. The crashing sounds were coming from inside.

"Sir, the door's been locked to the Greymane's suite," the guard answered.

Tess dashed forward, easily evading the grasping hands reaching to stop her. She drew herself up as she reached the door and said in her most imperious voice, "Unlock it!"

"Princess!" The guards here were her father's, both worgen in their lupine forms. They regarded her with wide eyes and folded ears. "It's been barricaded on the inside!" Indeed the door seemed to have suffered some damage as the two had tried to come to the aid of their king, but the castle doors were thick for a reason - to protect the people inside as a last line of defense against intrusion.

"Break it down!" Tess ordered.

"What's going on?" Anduin asked, trailing a terrified looking guard captain.

The door in front of them shuddered with a heavy impact. They all turned as it rattled on its hinges. It shook again with another impact and this time Tess was close enough to hear snarling... And also the faint growling voice of her father, though not his words. 

The sound of something heavy and wooden being thrown across the room and shattering drowned out whatever he might have said.

"Break it down!" Tess ordered again, taking a step forward to do so herself if they wouldn't.

The door shook with impact as a clawed hand broke one of the panels. The guards scrambled back in surprise, fouling her own movements forward. Someone got a hand on her shoulder. Tess almost took the hand off before she realized it was Anduin, pulling her back as his guards formed a living wall between them and whatever was fighting with her father. 

Then the door exploded outward. A shimmering golden shield snapped up between the guards, Tess and Anduin, and what came through. A shower of splinters and debris bounced harmlessly off the shield.

A worgen landed in the hallway, eyes wild and glowing yellow, the tattered remains of a dressing gown pale against the warm grey and ruddy fur. It, no,  _ she _ , howled like a mad thing then looked at the assembled group and snarled. Tess had a moment to appreciate the long, white fangs before her father, clad only in some undershorts and the fur of his worgen form, rushed at the other worgen in a desperate tackle.

They slid across the hallway, knocking over a decorative table and flower pot. The new worgen snarled and flailed, briefing dislodging her father. She turned and attacked the group. Her claws raked harmlessly off Anduin's shield before Genn grabbed her hands again and hauled the worgen back with sheer brute strength, dodging the snapping white teeth that turned his way. The worgen guards regained their feet but seemed uncertain as to what to do. Anduin's guards drew their weapons but Tess held up a hand to stop them.

"Father?" she called out, distantly surprised by how calm her own voice sounded.

"Tess?" Her father looked up, ears flicking up in surprise.

"Will mother be all right or do we need to find a druid ot help?" she asked, studiously ignoring the sounds of choked surprise from those around her.

"A druid might be for the best," Genn said before hauling her mother, snarling, back into their rooms.

She nudged one of the worgen guards. "Go. Find Celestine and bring her here  _ immediately _ ." He raced off before her command was even finished.

"We're leaving," Anduin quietly but firmly. He, and his shield, began to back away, the guards following with it. His face was red in the golden light cast by the shield but he had a neutral expression.

When they were around the corner, Tess turned on her heel and marched away. She vaguely heard Anduin speaking with his people as she continued down the hall, a hand covering her mouth, heart recovering from the abrupt excitement and strange turn of the evening.

She found herself in the hall at a loss of what to do, with many thoughts she did not want to be having trying to get her attention. She stood there until Anduin gently took her elbow, steered her back to his rooms and inside, then closed and locked the door behind them. A tumbler of alcohol was placed into her hand. Tess stared at it. The same gentle hands guided her to a seat on the couch. They took the glass from her and set it on the table before her, in reach. The bottle of more of the same was set on the table as well.

The couch dipped beside her. "Uhm..." Anduin trailed off.

Tess looked at him. There was still a bit of red in his cheeks. Humans from Stormwind found the typical Gilnean to be somewhat prudish, but sex was still  _ private _ . His staff would be discreet, but... The horse had left the barn. Word would spread that her mother was now a worgen as well... because her husband had given her a love bite. While they had sex. And he had been transformed. Because it was an accident in the middle of a passionate-

Tess grabbed for the shot. She drank it. Then poured and drank and second, then she just sat back with the bottle in hand, ignoring the glass, and tried to think of  _ anything  _ else. She liked to think she was far less prudish than the typical Gilnean but these were her  _ parents _ -

"Distract me," she pleaded. "Tell me about the most boring meeting you had today. Or some gossip. Or the time you went to the Exodar.  _ Anything _ ."

Anduin blinked in surprise, then began to launch into a very detailed recitation of the meeting he'd had earlier in the day. An emissary from the dwarves can come by to discuss the annual upkeep plan for the deeprun tram which connected Stormwind to Ironforge. Tess drank the whiskey and focused on the details of structure reinforcements and coordination of gnomish dive teams to clear off the exterior glass while druids in aquatic forms made sure that the massive threserdon that lived in the water didn't  _ eat  _ anyone.

When that story was over, she asked for another boring meeting, and another. The fourth, which had to do with something about dredging the canals, he paused and stopped her from drinking. "Do you really want to finish that?" he asked seriously, nodding at the bottle held in her hand. Tess studied it. The whiskey was mostly gone. Now, with her attention as called to it, she could  _ feel  _ the heavy, slowness of the alcohol burning in her system. A tempting bit of the bottle remained, but she was apparently not so far gone she would give in to the temptation. She shook her head and handed it over. Anduin took it, drank from it himself, then put the bottle on the table.

Tess watched her lover's movements, feeling a bit floaty and disconnected. Perfect. At this point, the unwanted images of her parents didn't nearly have as much effect on her. She supposed it was nice they actually loved one another, but she didn't need to know the details! Or at least she didn't need clear evidence to infer any. Anduin turned back to her, blue eyes hooded in concern. They were lovely, her lover's eyes. He was lovely. Caring. Considerate. Kind.

"Even when you are rutting me at your most feral, you're sweet," she told him as the thought occurred to her, bypassing all filters. She was drunk enough she didn't care, which was a fine place to be for the moment. 

His jaw dropped in surprise, eyes wide, a bit of blush on his cheeks. "Uhm." He was adorable. And sweet. And kissable. And never boorish or entitled.

"You always make sure I finish." She smiled at him. "If I wanted to, I could push you away. But I never want to. Knowing I could makes me feel safe, though." A girl heard things from older peers, about how even the nicest man could be a brute when refused. Her lover wasn't like that.

"Ah-?"

"A girl hears things," she said, patting his shoulder. She gripped his bicep. Some very nice definition was happening with the practice he was doing. Tess squeezed a bit. She remembered when he'd been all lanky legs and knobby knees. Tess continued to feel his arms and reflected on her own. He'd been stringy and she'd hardly had any shape She certainly hadn't had any of the muscle she had now. He mother despaired of her current physique when she had occasion to see Tess's arms and shoulders. Tess of a few scant years ago wouldn't have been able to scale the walls of Stormwind keep.

She felt warm and slow and floaty. Yes, it had been a good place to stop drinking. If she had to leave now, it would be very difficult to climb the side of the keep. She should probably not do that. It would be bad. She might even fall and die. "I don't want to fall to my death from trying to climb the keep."

"Well, let's just not do that then," Anduin said, very reasonably.

"Okay," Tess agreed. She then crawled into his lap, resting her head against his shoulder. He smelled nice so she told him so. "You smell nice."

"You are  _ very  _ drunk."

"Yes. That was a lot of whiskey quickly and I haven't eaten much today," she realized aloud. It was good he'd stopped her drinking more then. He was good and caring like that. She snuggled in closer.

Anduin made a sound of concern. "I offered dinner."

"I wanted you more. I could sneak something later if I wanted. We don't get enough time to just be us," she said. She sighed heavily. "And I know that's because of me."

"I like being just you and me, too," Anduin said, rubbing her back. "It isn't all on you. I need it as much as you do, I think."

She nodded, fingers idly playing with one of the still unbound locks of golden hair. "My parents," she stated, "did not practice safe sex."

Anduin barked a laugh, then stifled the rest with a hand.  _ "Tess!" _

"S'true though," she said. "He bit her and-" She scowled. "And everyone is going to know within days if not hours. It's going to be a mess."

"She could say she asked him to bite her?" Anduin suggested.

"Depends on how far the story's gone." Tess groaned. "I shouldn't have had so much to drink. I  _ should  _ be trying to get ahead of the rumors." She didn't move though. His arms were too nice and this, a surly part of her thought, was a bed her parents had made together and they could lie in it. Literally.

"Will this hurt them politically?" Anduin questioned. "I thought your people were very pro-worgen."

"Yes, but they are also very anti-anything which relates to sex, at least in public. They're also vicious and can scent blood in the water. They're worse than... those big fish." She made a vague hand gesture to get her point across when the name escaped her.

"Big. Fish."

"Yes, you know, the ones. Big. Finny."

"Most fish are finny," Anduin said. She could  _ hear  _ his smirk of amusement.

She smacked him lightly. "The ones with all the teeth!"

"Sharks?"

"Yes! Those. Or vultures. Or vulture sharks." Tess paused. "Such a creature would be terrifying."

"Well, thankfully it doesn't exist."

Tess smacked him again. "Don't mock me when I am drunk and also correct." He kissed the side of her head in silent apology. She sighed and tucked her head back against his shoulder. This little bubble of quiet with just the two of them was wonderful. It was an oasis. She drank it greedily and knew it would be all too brief. The hand rubbing her back and the warmth of the whiskey had lulled her into a pleasant lassitude. If only the moment could last forever, she would be content.

But the morning would come and with it, all the fallout of her mother being a worgen, now and all the mess that entailed politically. And then there was the whole transitional period where she learned how to deal with it-

Tess groaned as she realized some of what that would entail for  _ her  _ and the implications to their little oasis of intimacy.

"Hmm?" Anduin questioned. He reached up and tucked back a lock of her hair.

"My mother is a worgen now," Tess lamented.

"Yes?"

"She's... She's sharper than my father is. Notices more. She'll take one look and  _ know _ . She's going to ruin us." Tess felt sick with sudden grief.

Anduin made a thoughtful noise, because he couldn't understand the gravity of their situation. "You are incredibly good at sneaking-"

"It won't matter. Even if she can't see me there's all the rest." She did not whine, but she did make a plaintive sound of disappointment. A princess did not whine. Or cry because she couldn't sneak off to have really good sex with her lover out of the prying eyes of their respective nobles.

"The rest?"

"Her nose," Tess grumbled. "Father's fairly nose blind but she  _ won't  _ be." Tess couldn't possibly be that lucky twice. Her mother was sharp as a human anyway. As a worgen,  _ nothing  _ would get past her.  _ Ever _ . And Tess's little bubble of freedom and joy would burst and  _ expectations  _ would be placed on them both.

"We... Shower more?"

"It will be more than us. It's the room. The sheets. Our clothes. Hair probably. Scents." She pouted because she was deserving of at least one good pout after all she'd had to endure. "I just want to be us." 

She looked up at him, one hand directing him to look at her. "Run away with me."

For the briefest of moments, she could tell he was tempted. The suggestion was only half joking because neither of them could flee their responsibilities entirely, he less than her, but for a brief moment they shared the vision of just walking away. Her heart fluttered even as he sighed with regret.

Anduin took her hand and kissed her palm. "Part of me wishes we could."

"I  _ know _ . It's a lovely fantasy." She closed her eyes as his forehead bent to rest against hers.

This little space they'd made was a fantasy, too. A bubble which would prove to be just as fragile as any other given time. If it wasn't her mother discovering them with her new nose, then it would be something else.

"Will we ever get to be our own people?" she asked.

Rather than give her a platitude, Anduin sighed, hugged her closer, and sank into a thoughtful silence. He had a little thinking frown when he was considering something of great importance. It was cute. Tess let him think and existed, enjoying this moment while it lasted, warm, floaty and all too brief.

She roused sometime later, realizing she'd been snoozing only as she woke. "How long was I asleep?" she asked. It had been long enough she didn't feel intoxicated anymore. Instead she felt a bit dried out. Not quite hungover but it might go that way if she didn't drink some water. Rising from the warmth of his arms she went to get a glass. The fire had died down a fair amount but the room was cozy.

"A few hours. I ended up dozing after awhile myself," Anduin said, rising from the couch to follow her. "I gave some thought to what you asked. When will we be our own people?" He stretched his arms out over his head, the shirt rising to distract her with a tantalizing bit of skin

"Never," she scoffed, darkly.

Anduin made a thoughtful noise. "Well to an extent, but then again most everyone has some responsibilities from their families. We just happen to have it a bit worse than others. But we might also have some advantages, too."

"Like?"

"Well, I am a king."

"No! Really?"

He smirked, putting an arm around her waist. "And that sort of means I get to do whatever I want. I mean, I have to deal with the consequences, but it also means I should have a little bit of leeway too." 

"Go on." She leaned against his side and followed along as he headed towards his bedroom.

"If I say my bedroom or my quarters is entirely off limits barring emergencies while I'm in them, my staff will listen."

She paused, looking up at him seriously. "That's not much."

He cupped his hand against her cheek. "It's something. And..." he trailed off, looking to the side.

Her hand covered his. "What?"

Anduin's eyes met hers, the intensity of his look hit like a gut punch. And yet... He was afraid. His jaw was set with resolve, but he was afraid. Tess's stomach churned with dread anticipation of his next words as the fear stretched time out.

Anduin's thumb brushed across her cheek. His other hand pulled her closer to him. "The questions only come when there are unknowns," he said, voice pitched low though they were the only ones in the room.

"That is the nature of questions," she said lightly, though it came out strange because her heart was beating quickly.

He smiled a little at that, eyes glittering in mirth. The fist around her guts eased, then more when he leaned in to kiss her lips lightly, once, then twice.

"There are expectations of us," Anduin said, seriously. "Those unknowns make people anxious. I was thinking about it. The more we answer the important questions, the more they leave us alone," he told her. He kissed her again, halting her objections for a moment. "If we give people answers, enough to tide them over and no more, then they will give us some space. Eventually we will have fulfilled our obligations and they will leave us alone."

She swallowed, mouth suddenly dry and not due to any of the whiskey she'd had. "And what important questions would we be answering?" she asked in a low whisper, eyes finding his again.

She watched as his fear melted away, leaving only the utter resolve... And the kind smile that reached his eyes and welcomed her home. Anduin leaned in close, his breath against her ear. The question was asked in a quiet whisper, the words for her and her alone. "Will you marry me?"

Tess shivered, hands tightening around his waist and clutching at his shirt, because there it was; the unspoken now given life, no longer silent and able to be ignored. "Yes," her heart answered, though her head was afraid. Anduin's lips claimed hers as he pulled her close. 

A warm, fearless defiance ignited in her soul.

Why should she have to skulk around? Why shouldn't she be allowed love Anduin openly? Why should  _ she  _ have to change  _ her  _ ways? Why should she have to be held down by the chains of questions that weren't even anyone else's business, anyway?

"I guess," she said, voice breathless as they parted for air, "the next important question is 'when' and the answer is 'when we've decided the time is right and have sorted out the political nonsense, so bugger off?' " she asked.

"Something like that. Same with everything else that comes after?"

Everything that-  _ Family _ .  _ Children _ . She nodded agreement even as her heart raced. "It's  _ not  _ their business. We'll let them know we'll be doing what we're obligated to when we feel like it, and they shouldn't bother asking in the meantime."

"Right." Anduin smiled. She smiled back.

"It's like your quarters. Off limits." She breathed out. He was nodding. 

"Exactly what I was thinking. They get the minimum to make them not anxious and it's not their business otherwise. It isn't like we're unaware of our duties." Anduin rolled his eyes but there was steel in his voice that spoke to the fire in Tess's soul.

Could she turn the object of scrutiny, their relationship, into a safe space? Could she have her happy little oasis of calm and relief forever untainted by questions? 

She'd damn well try.

"It's our space," Anduin was saying, echoing the fire and frustration. "They stay out-" She was kissing him. Because he was kind and understanding and her respite and he understood her. Her weary heart was ready to stop slinking off in the small hours of the morning, because every time she was leaving  _ home _ . 

And she'd just agreed to marry him. A little manic laugh bubbled up. Tess covered her mouth. Anduin pulled the hand away then kissed her gently. "I like hearing you laugh."

She kissed him again. "Stop being perfect. I already said I'd marry you."

His grin was practically incandescent. Tess melted inside, heart thudding. She was pulled close, the arms around her shoulders and waist tightened. She returned the squeeze and they held one another in the low light of the embers of the bedroom hearth.

At length, Tess stepped away, but only so she could draw him towards the bed. They could sort everything else out in the morning.


End file.
